Tuesday, 26 February 2013

Ana's thought: "The depth of my soul is measured by the profundity of my art."

When we remember the defining moments of art history, we call to mind
the painters and sculptors of the Renaissance - the geniuses
Michelangelo, Raphael, da Vinci, Dürer, Van Eyck - those driving forces
in a new age of realism who broke ground in perspective and colour. They
chose to serve as mirrors to their lives and their beliefs. In the
Baroque period, Caravaggio and Bernini imbued their works with potent
emotion - to this day, their art is irresistible to the eye of the
beholder, for it resonates deeply within our hearts. Amid the sea of
splendor that is our past, one cannot help but ask what today's art
world offers in response.

Today's world is one of commodity. Modern culture demands that our
gratification be instant - and in turn, all things are made instantly!
Our idea of success is something that darts by with all the quickness
and effete of a shooting star. Media insists that our attention span not
last longer than a handful of moments, and shock value and
sensationalism sing their siren songs to eager ears. Among all of this
disarray, it has become quite rare to find the pairing of substance and
beauty. We are told to reject the idea that art was something once
considered 'fine', that beauty is archaic.

In the age of masters, it was understood that art flourishes when
properly cultivated. Instinct was important, yes, but true magnificence
was mastered by learning. Through institutions like Florence's Accademia e Compagnia delle Arte di Disegno,
promising and passionate artists were given ample opportunity to
develop their skills. The modern push to constantly accelerate stifles
the promise of creative souls, deprives them of the life experience
necessary to awaken the greatness asleep inside them.

As artists, there are difficult questions ahead - who among us will
be brave enough to rise up and answer why have we chosen to turn our
backs on beauty and emotion? Why must our celebrations of the wondrous
human body be distorted and turned in to pornography? What messages are
we spreading through our art, and to whom do they speak? Above all, can
we still expect to ignite fires that will burn forever, marking our time
as something resplendent, in an age that praises only entertainment and
shock value?

Saturday, 16 February 2013

Ana's Thought: "Critic, be gentle with your words, for they are the arrows that kill the Heart of Inspiration."

For all of its magnificent offerings and dazzling opportunities, the art world is capable of such cruelty. One can pour their soul, the very essence of his or her self, into a creation, only to then stand by as it is smashed apart by a single word of opposition. For every reward shining before the artist at work, there is incalculable risk to one's identity and well-being.

It may serve as a comfort for creative souls to know that acclaim, when it is real, builds slowly. Those whose brilliance flashes in dramatic flares before the public eye will see their success flicker out - as quickly as a stray spark without kindling - and history shall not remember them. Art is a practice, requiring incredible strength and dedication to the patient pursuit of ideas. A genuine life of art cannot be solely an aim for some imagined pinnacle, particularly when the odds of securing that elusive fame are so slim.

In truth, gaining the attention that so many young hopefuls covet offers no guarantee toward a path of éclat. Many of the names in our celebrated creative canon were subject to ridicule and degradation in their own day. Van Gogh, for instance, now seen universally as a gifted genius of art, sold only one work over the course of his career. The patrons and critics active during El Greco's lifetime largely disregarded his exquisitely unique paintings. Outside of visual art, countless wonderful talents - from Carmen composer Georges Bizet to the ineffable Edgar Allan Poe - did not live to see how their efforts touched the lives of so many. The heights of success were only reached long after the ink had dried and the easels covered in dust.

And sometimes, idle ignorance is not the only slight the artist may receive! In 1877, James Abbott McNeill Whistler, a spirited painter of life, brought esteemed art critic John Ruskin to court with charges of libel after a particularly unforgiving and misleading review of his work. While Whistler saw victory in the case, the cost of the proceedings left him penniless. He, too, was not recognized for his superior vision until after his death.

To the aspiring creators who feel as though their efforts are wasted, belittled by a harsh world, recall that the eyes of time are sharper and wiser than those of man. In this very moment, there are artists and writers among us making masterpieces, but we will never know of them until their hands have come to rest. The artist is mortal, but her works are immortal. Pursue your passions with the whole of your heart in the hope that the hearts of others will someday sing of your gifts.

To critics, I advise you to be mindful of the power you possess: your craft may make or break the will of another. Be judicious and conscientious, and do not let your position inflate your sense of worth. Above all, be considerate in choosing your words - for someday, history may make you eat them.

Saturday, 9 February 2013

Ana's Thought: "My Art is born of endless Passion for the Beauty of Life."As Valentine's Day approaches, people across the world feel moved to speak from their hearts, letting their emotions pour forth in displays of affection for those they cherish. But no paper card or expensive gemstone can contain the immense force that is Love.

In my eyes, Love is the axis of all creation. It is in the matter composing every flower and fluttering bird, every majestic ocean and trickling stream, each woman and man equally. When chaos and darkness threaten to overthrow the balance of life, Love is gravity, the uniting law of Nature that binds down to our very atoms.

Love defies all definition, for each time it is touched by light, another facet of its beauteous face is revealed to us. As such, we give it many names: the Ancient Greeks described the kinds of Love as charity (agape), romance (eros), the bond between families (storge), and friendship (philia). In the Chinese Buddhist tradition, ai indicates deep feelings of universal Love that can lead to either selfish indulgence or the purest enlightenment, while ren, from Confucian practice, is the 'everyday' Love that preserves order in interactions.

It is a fantastic power, capable of being constructive or destructive depending upon how it is used by those it leaves enchanted. Constructive Love is giving, transformative, and transcendent--the very foundations upon which civilization rests. Destructive Love is characterized by lust, jealousy, and temptation--insidious feelings that lead only to emptiness. Religions throughout time have worshiped gods and goddesses who act as avatars of these faces of Love--from vengeful Hera and vain Aphrodite to charming Krishna and dazzling Tripurasundarĩ. Each kind of Love is unique and serves its own distinct purpose, necessary to the development of human character.

Like so many generations of artists before me, I am stirred by Love to create. Love & Peace, my global sculptural project, was born from Love in my soul as a way to reflect the beauty of life. This Valentine's Day, I pay tribute to all of the wonders I have seen by giving these tremendous flowers to all open hearts, a bouquet blooming over oceans and borders in the colours of Love. For Love needs no translator: is the language of the universe, the nucleus of this dancing galaxy made to delight us. It is every joy we celebrate and every hope we cling to, the essence of Truth--all else falls away, and at all times Love remains constant.

Tuesday, 5 February 2013

Ana's Thought: "Of all disciplines of Arts, the 'Muse' has been most generous to painting with the absence of all rules - giving total freedom to create."

Inspiration is an eternal mystery, the fountain that overflows to send rivulets of ingenuity directly into the minds of the receptive. It is as though an arrow of fire is shot from an invisible bow, cutting through darkness to bring brilliance to its target. The artist struck by this sacred dart does not know what compels her hands to move in the ways that they do. She could never pinpoint the precise source of her ideas - she only knows that she must chase their strange light. The hidden archer is a bearer of divine insight, known throughout the ages as the Muse.

The ancient Greeks were the first to give a name to the experience of becoming inspired. To them, enlightenment took the form of Zeus's three beautiful daughters, the patrons of the arts. It was in the Roman tradition that the classical Muses came to be: nine breathtaking deities who served as the guardians of talent and wisdom, from music and dance to history and astronomy. Writers and artists called upon these spirits to guide them as they set to work, trusting that their humble praise would see them through to the creation of magnificence.

With the passing of time, the idea of the Muse changed. Many of history's beloved creators and thinkers - Dante, Keats, Picasso, Manet, Rilke, and countless others - looked not to the heavens but to figures of personal ideal in their own worlds to spark their will. For the first time, the ability to inspire could be something mortal as well as Immortal! Even as definitions shifted, one fact remained: the core of the Muse was the metaphysical beauty of womankind. The notion of the Muse being such a strong and guiding force speaks to the power of women as keepers of knowledge and potential.

Every masterpiece is born of a singular moment of energy when both an idea and the means of achieving it come sharply into view: rare and fantastic, a revelation. In the hours, days, and years after this flickering instant of insight, the force of passion - a wordless and insatiable drive - germinates greatness. The Muse, the symbol encompassing both chance and destiny, sings enchanting melodies of promise into the ear of each inventor, scientist, poet, and artist. Those who listen are swept up in the song of possibility and transfigured, newly blessed with the capabilities and determination to change the world in the hope that the soul of mankind will hear their song.

I have been painting full time for 25 years.

A true ‘citizen of the world,’ Ana Tzarev’s work is edified by decades of
extensive travel. She has taken residence in bustling Asian cities,
remote African villages, and the pristine landscapes of Australia,
immersing herself in cultures and customs to translate them onto canvas.
Her paintings are borne of that same lineage that produced the
sketchbooks of great explorers—logs kept to chart unknown realms
and share the wonders they possessed. Art critic Edward Lucie-Smith
describes her relationship with her work: “Ana Tzarev is a dynamic and
visionary painter because she has a constant desire to get it all down,
to recreate what she encounters in her own visual language.”

Tzarev’s artistic sensibilities have been honed by the histories of
those she encounters: through studies of the linear, organic qualities
that comprise Japanese woodcuts and the bold and distinctive textures of
the Masai textiles, she has developed an undeniably unique style. With exuberant, frenetic swathes of paint, the artist creates
pieces that function equally as documentary of tradition and the
capturing of ephemeral, universal moments; Tzarev’s joyful approach to
art enables her to encapsulate the emotions that preserve them, exuding
the very essence of life that makes these subjects so compelling.
Renowned art critic Dr. Alexander Borovsky eloquently describes her
style: “Ana Tzarev has learned how to ‘capture’ the depictive motif very
quickly. She has developed a powerful gestural style with an energy not
unlike that of the post-impressionist era: an open color, a
three-dimensional brush stroke—or rather, a fiery haze of strokes
drifting optically in space; a triumph of the de-reflective approach,
driven towards capturing and mastering nature’s signals.”

The
appeal of Ana Tzarev’s vibrant and expressive work is apparent in the
breadth of exhibitions that have showcased her art worldwide. Her
paintings have been featured in galleries, museums, and public spaces
across Europe and Asia, including the State Russian Museum in St.
Petersburg, the Gildo Pastor Centre in Monaco, the Santralistanbul
Museum of Contemporary Art in Istanbul, Cite Internationale des Arts in
Paris, the Saatchi Gallery in London, the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, and
the Museo Diocesano di Venezia Sant’ Apollonia in Venice.

2013
is slated to be a significant year for Ms. Tzarev and her art. In
January, her works premiered at the National Museum of Rome in an
exhibition entitled “The Life of Flowers”, curated by famed art
historian Marco Tonelli. A large collection of works from the artist’s
Exposed series was also selected for inclusion in Venice’s 55th
Biennale. In 2014, she is poised to debut her paintings in China at
Beijing’s Today Art Museum.

The motivating force behind Ana
Tzarev’s work is the notion that art can be utilized as a powerful tool
for progress. From 2011 to 2013, she has shown her support for youth
arts through From Ana Tzarev, With Love, a joint workshop-exhibition
encouraging creative collaboration between children in Istanbul, London,
Paris, and New York. In 2012, she premiered an ongoing global
sculptural exploration, entitled Love & Peace, which has garnered
worldwide attention and acclaim. Conceived as a conduit for conversation
among all people, the massive floral sculptures of Love & Peace
have been installed in London, Shenzhen, and New York, with plans to
place more of these flowers in cities across the world. Tzarev wishes to
foster feelings of unity and the bond of one community through art, in
all the diverse ethnic groups that comprise the Earth.